Wednesday, December 10, 2008

LUCKNOW: Another big cat has lost the battle for life -- in all possibility after being hit by a speeding vehicle.

The leopard which was brought to Lucknow zoo for treatment on Saturday has died. The post-mortem report has identified cardiac and respiratory failure due to injury and de-hydration as the cause of the animal's death.

It was a male leopard approximately 8 to 10 years of age. The leopard was captured by the forest team on Saturday and was being brought to the zoo for treatment. It had its hind legs injured and was unable to stand. But, before the animal could be administered the treatment, it died on its way to zoo on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

According to the post-mortem report, the animal had a fractured spine and crushed pelvic bone. This had rendered it unfit to hunt and feed itself. The report had shown no trace of food and water in the dead animal's stomach.

The wounds were infected with maggots. "It appeared that its wounds were about four to five days old," said Dudhwa director Uma Shanker Singh. The leopard was spotted in Sathiana forest of Dudhwa division. The forest officials referred to it as a case of hit and run.